Institute for Ministry launches online master's programs

The Loyola University New Orleans Institute for Ministry will officially launch an online master’s degree and certificate programs in pastoral studies and religious education, starting fall 2010.

Each program consists of 36 credit hours and may be completed entirely online or by combining online and on-campus courses. The programs combine a firm theological foundation with an opportunity to specialize in areas such as youth ministry, parish life and administration, Hispanic ministry, spirituality, religion and ecology and others.

LIM Director Tom Ryan, Ph.D., said the online programs provide great flexibility for students who may not have access to courses in traditional settings.

“Our programs are Ignatian, practical, and affordable,” Ryan said. “Unique to them, is that they include a spiritual formation component based on the themes and graces of 'The Spiritual Exercises' of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.”

“These are professionally-oriented graduate programs in which students form online learning communities. They develop theological and ministerial competencies through the integration of academic study with theological reflection on their ministerial practice and experience as people of faith.”

Students come from all walks of life. Some are new to the field of theology and ministry, while others already work in the church or as religious educators. Students of all faiths who seek to develop their theological knowledge and ministerial skills are welcome.

For more than 40 years, LIM, which is housed in the College of Social Sciences, has operated a successful ministry education program that is both Catholic and ecumenical. It has pioneered distance education through its unique extension model in the United States and abroad since 1983. Last year, LIM started a program in Benin City, Nigeria.